1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the cooperative deployment of resource management objects in an integrated solutions console and more particularly to security management for resource management objects in an integrated solutions console.
2. Description of the Related Art
The rapid evolution of technology and the Internet have created an unforgiving consumer. End-users expect e-business to be fast and focused, providing a quick response to service requests. End users further expect dynamic adaptation to meet new computing demands and the provisioning of uninterrupted, round-the-clock access to products and services. Meeting the demands of this unforgiving consumer can require new levels of integration and performance management.
To remain competitive, the enterprise must deploy the appropriate technology to effectively integrate business processes across the enterprise and with key partners, suppliers and customers. The correct infrastructure can enable e-business agility allowing the business to immediately respond to customer demands, market opportunities and security threats. Yet, building and managing an on-demand operating environment can be difficult even for the most skilled technology team. Years of expanding the system architecture to capitalize on new and more advanced technology has created a complex infrastructure. Despite the complexity, though, the demands remain the same: complete and seamless integration of all disparate and similar technologies.
To facilitate the integration and management of multiple, disparate technologies, integrated resource management systems have been deployed to provide a singular view to the enterprise, despite the disparate nature of the resources disposed therein. Through an integrated solutions console, a view of the enterprise can be provided, not only in reference to the performance of individually monitored resources, but also in respect to the administration of security, the authorization of users, the management of service level agreements and the like. Cutting edge implementations of the integrated solutions console demonstrate unparalleled flexibility by providing a portal view to independently developed resource management components.
Generally, console modules disposed within the integrated solutions console can be charged with the management or monitoring of one or more corresponding resources. Referred to in the art as a “resource management object”, each resource management object can be rendered within the integrated solutions console to represent an independently developed and self-contained object directed to a specific target platform or resource. Notably, the integration of resource management objects in the integrated services console can provide previously unknown challenges in respect to the identification and verification of console users in respect to the different resource management objects accessed through an integrated services console.
Presently, a myriad of authentication tools have been developed for disparate products operating in disparate platforms. Most permit the replacement of one authentication or authorization solution for another through the implementation of a standard interface. Yet, replacing one authentication solution for another across multiple disparate resources viewable through a single integrated solutions console can require substantial changes to existing authentication and authorization models of administered resources and an associated user interface. For example, conventional solutions allow defining new user registries and mapping the new registries to console resources without accounting for pre-existing user registries. Moreover, a clear demarcation of administrative responsibilities accounting for usage patterns is lacking among conventional solutions.